10 years since completing his Graduate Diploma of Arts Management at the University of South Australia, Qiao Luqiang still has a soft spot for Australia. He spoke to Sophie Loras.

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Qiao Luqiang
Director of International Arts cooperation, China’s National Centre for the Performing Arts
Winner: 2009 Australian Alumni Award for Culture and the Arts
University: University of South Australia

I graduated from Shandong Normal University in 1986 and then worked for the Shandong government where I started to do cultural exchange programs with other countries including Australia.
For 11 years I worked for the Shandong government facilitating and participating in cultural exchange projects with Australia including an Australian String Quartet tour of China, Australian Youth Symphony Orchestra tour of China and a Shandong Traditional Music Orchestra Tour to South Australia.
My career in the cultural world has always had close links with Australia. Luckily in 1997, the Australia China Council granted me a scholarship to study a Graduate Diploma of Arts Management at the University of South Australia because at that time there was no arts training course like it in China – it was a very new course and then I did further MBA study also at the University South Australia.
I then returned to China as a gallery manager for Red Gate Gallery in Beijing for two years.
As a gallery manager I organised exhibitions for Australian artists and residence projects for Australian artists to come to China.
I then shifted my career into the business world for several years until 2007 when I started my role at China’s National Centre for the Performing Arts as Director of International Arts Co-operation at a time when China needed more people like me who were well trained in arts management.
I still have very deep feelings for this country (Australia) especially my two years in South Australia and the culture and the arts management fields.
I wanted to introduce more Australian artists to China and more Chinese projects to Australia and this has already included bringing Aboriginal artist Geoffrey Gurrumul Yunupingu to participate in an international performance with the NCPA in 2008 and facilitating a China National Ballet Tour to Melbourne with Raise the Red Lantern.
Twenty years have passed since my first involvement in cultural exchanges and I’m still very passionate about cultural exchange between Australia and China.
I was the first Chinese to complete the MBA and Graduate Diploma of Arts Management in Australia and my current job is a continuation of this kind of cultural contribution.
I went to Australia as a recipient of a scholarship but I also really wanted to know what is “Arts Management.” At that time we considered Australian education to be very good and so a chance to go was considered very lucky.
After my graduation I became a visiting professor for Beijing University teaching the students, and through that my students have learnt more about Australian education and arts management.

Judges comments:

"Qiao Luqiang’s breadth of vision in arts management is providing a crucial input to that cultural area of Chinese life to which many are now turning, rightly, as a focus to balance and humanise the enrichment that has been the top priority for a couple of decades,” said Rowan Callick of the judging panel’s decision to award Qiao Luqiang the Australian Alumni Award for Culture and the Arts. ■

To read more on the 2009 CPA Australia China Alumni Association Awards, click here.